A simple twist of fate has set President Obama’s second Inaugural Address for January 21, the same day as the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.

Obama made no mention of King during the Inauguration four years ago -- but since then, in word and deed, the president has done much to distinguish himself from the man who said “I have a dream.”
After his speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963, King went on to take great risks as a passionate advocate for peace.

After his Inaugural speech in January 2009, Obama has pursued policies that epitomize King’s grim warning in 1967: “When scientific power outruns moral power, we end up with guided missiles and misguided men.”

But Obama has not ignored King’s anti-war legacy. On the contrary, the president has gone out of his way to distort and belittle it.
In his eleventh month as president -- while escalating the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, a process that tripled the American troop levels there -- Obama traveled to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. In his speech, he cast aspersions on the peace advocacy of another Nobel Peace laureate: Martin Luther King Jr.

The president struck a respectful tone as he whetted the rhetorical knife before twisting. “I know there's nothing weak -- nothing passive -- nothing naive -- in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King,” he said, just before swiftly implying that those two advocates of nonviolent direct action were, in fact, passive and naive. “I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people,” Obama added.

Moments later, he was straining to justify American warfare: past, present, future. “To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism -- it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason,” Obama said. “I raise this point, I begin with this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter what the cause. And at times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the world’s sole military superpower.”

Then came the jingo pitch: “Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms.”

Crowing about the moral virtues of making war while accepting a peace prize might seem a bit odd, but Obama’s rhetoric was in sync with a key dictum from Orwell: “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.”

Laboring to denigrate King’s anti-war past while boasting about Uncle Sam’s past (albeit acknowledging “mistakes,” a classic retrospective euphemism for carnage from the vantage point of perpetrators), Obama marshaled his oratory to foreshadow and justify the killing yet to come under his authority.

Two weeks before the start of Obama’s second term, the British daily The Guardian noted that “U.S. use of drones has soared during Obama’s time in office, with the White House authorizing attacks in at least four countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. It is estimated that the CIA and the U.S. military have undertaken more than 300 drone strikes and killed about 2,500 people.”

The newspaper reported that a former member of Obama’s “counter-terrorism group” during the 2008 campaign, Michael Boyle, says the White House is now understating the number of civilian deaths due to the drone strikes, with loosened standards for when and where to attack: “The consequences can be seen in the targeting of mosques or funeral processions that kill non-combatants and tear at the social fabric of the regions where they occur. No one really knows the number of deaths caused by drones in these distant, sometimes ungoverned, lands.”

Although Obama criticized the Bush-era “war on terror” several years ago, Boyle points out, President Obama “has been just as ruthless and indifferent to the rule of law as his predecessor.”

Boyle’s assessment -- consistent with the conclusions of many other policy analysts -- found the Obama administration’s use of drones is “encouraging a new arms race that will empower current and future rivals and lay the foundations for an international system that is increasingly violent.”

In recent weeks, more than 50,000 Americans have signed a petition to Ban Weaponized Drones from the World. The petition says that “weaponized drones are no more acceptable than land mines, cluster bombs or chemical weapons.” It calls for President Obama “to abandon the use of weaponized drones, and to abandon his ‘kill list’ program regardless of the technology employed.”

Count on lofty rhetoric from the Inaugural podium. The spirit of Dr. King will be elsewhere.

Mass austerity and public penury in the richest society ever, is occuring because of the interrelation of 'Corporate Crapitalism & Manic Militarism' & here's a graphic and a report about the nature and behaviour of the 'Imperial Corporate Overlords' :

"The federal government now boasts 16 national intelligence agencies, spending an estimated $100 billion per year and employing an army of staffers and contractors who routinely (and illegally) spy domestically." - From "The Police State is Here."

Geez, can't we do better than that? Do we not have any love left in our hearts?

"Scholars who have studied the political effects of drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen have argued that even well-targeted raids often claim innocent victims, and the result is a backlash against the U.S. Likewise, Hayden and retired Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, have warned that too many drone attacks — in Pakistan, for example, where the CIA uses "signature strikes" against suspected militants without identifying them individually — can be a bad thing."

"What scares me about drone strikes is how they are perceived around the world," McChrystal told the Reuters news agency last month. "The resentment created by American use of unmanned strikes ... is much greater than the average American appreciates. They are hated on a visceral level, even by people who've never seen one or seen the effects of one."

These quotes are from "McManus: The other drone question: Are we creating more enemies than we are killing?"

These arguments are at least moving in the right direction, but I can't help but wonder how the total moral turpitude and inhumanity of drone strikes is left aside, unaddressed. Surely MLK would address those.

MLK's Beyond Vietnam speech in which he officially broke with the Johnson administration in hiis support of the war took place at Riverside Church, 120th St in NYC. Johnson knew that he was screwed after that speech.

Last year.. 2012, Occupy was a big part of that celebration on MLK day. As much as I loved this year's MLK day with Occupy, being at Riverside that night was magical.

"We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity. The "tide in the affairs of men" does not remain at the flood; it ebbs. We may cry out deperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residue of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: "Too late." There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on..." We still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation."

Solidarity @ Riverside Church Congregation & to you and your good works.

Those are beautiful, thoughtful, prophectic words. "...tomorrow is indeed today," and the fact that King's struggle is much like our's is, was made very evident to me that night at Riverside Church. But those feelings were also tinged with the realization and regret that most of us here could have done so much more then and in all the subsequent years leading up to that night in that church.

In the end we can only blame ourselves for the "neglect," and hope that the "invisible book of life" doesn't record our "vigilance" as being "Too Late." Thanks

The common struggle that we are in has built many new friendships that are very strong. That building of community is a necessity considering the strength of our oppressors, and it is being repelicated all across the country, the world...and despite some of the problems they have had, they are learning from their mistakes. In almost all places the Occupy models are different, but what is alike is that Occupy people want to rebuild community, because once again, they know that, that is what we need in the face of the monumental task we have undertaken.

I do not pretend to be a strict adherent of what Occupy is trying to do on a societal level, or to even completely understand how they would implement this on a wider scale, and I really question whether it could work. I suspect to some degree, it is my failing, and it is due to me being an older white dude who has always been a 'let's get this done' type of guy. Even so what i witness is beautiful, and at the very least, I believe it will bring about a new set of 'ethos' (BW's word) which is something we are in dire need of.

On another note, I just got back from an OWS meeting in NYC. It did not start out well as the bus was delayed almost 2 hours in a bottle-neck traffic jam at the Lincoln tunnel. Hence, I was an hour late, but since I went their to listen and learn mostly, it did not matter much. After the meeting, one of the young ladies who is a friend from OTS, and who knew of my bus trials, and felt sorry for me asked me to dinner. At the dinner, she expressed her dismay in this struggle not being further along than it is. I share that disappointment, but we were able to put that aside, talk about the spring's objectives, and enjoy some not so good Thai food. Like a gentleman, and out of profound respect for how much she has sacrificed for this movement, I picked up the tab.

Then, while waiting in the bus terminal for my bus to NJ, a simple quote came to mind that i knew she needed at this time, so I texted her: "Nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy. Remember that [her name]." Nicholas Sparks She texted back: " :) I will remember!......" Those words, and being there for each other is something we shoud all remember in the epic stuggle we are in.

I appreciate your heart-centred and heartfelt comment. A shared sense of "community" is the 'heart' of 'OWS' and you articulate and encapsulate this spirit very well in your comment & all your doings. You are an inspiring occupier & I salute you 'Odin'. Re. OWS, nothing happens as quickly as we would like but very real seeds are being planted and we & especially the young, are now in a generational struggle.

Finally, tho' you may have seen the first link before, I nevertheless append and encourage a (re)view of :

Thanks shadz, your contributions (all above links viewed) on here are equally as "inspiring." Although I feel the struggle we are in will be propelled mostly by the young, our participation in it is an important cog.

The Revolution Is [indeed] Love." Our adversaries should not mistake that for naievity, or our resolve though....or in our knowing that we are up against....as people realize that it does not have to be like this.

The unsustainibility of exponential growth in interest $, as one of your links pointed out, will be more than matched with that same dynamic in Occupy. That is to say, when the exponential growth of people in our struggle reaches a critical mass (as no doubt it will), and those people become emboldened, the corrupt elite will have no choice, but to succumb. And when they do, I suspect that at least some of them will feel liberated from the system that they perpetuated, and from the shallownes of their own lives, and go on to create a legacy that their children will be proud of.

The 'awakening' to "the spiritual malaise" we have been in is well underway throughout the world as you know. While the economic injustices, and suffering are probably the main reason that many of us came here, our 'rev' has morphed into something (but inexorably linked to the former) that is far more than that, for most of us. Once again, it's about our 'ethos,' or lack of good ones in particular in that most of us have inadvertentlly fallen into the trap of consumerism, to find our happiness. People are awakening to the fact that 'true happiness' does not reside there. Instead most of us here now have the realization that: * "We have all been given a gift, the gift of life. What we do with our lives is our gift back."* Edo...from one of your above links.

The other great very inspiring quote that sticks in my mind comes from a woman in Spain, who overcame cancer. She, Ms. Bandera is the co-founder of the cooperatively owned La Marea magazine (see Spain Deserves Our Support thread here) which is at the fore-front in educating the people of Spain in their struggle. She said, "If you survive something, it is to live - to feel you put your energy into things you believe in. That is to be alive." Having myself overcome some serious health issues, (through determination mostly) in which my prognosis was not good, I too revel in my chance to to "...put ...[my] energy into things...[i] believe in." And never do I feel so much alive shadzy....with the exception of when I am with my little Hafita observing her beautiful innocence....as I do when I am with the beautiful, determined people of Occupy who sacrifice so much in simply wanting our world to be a better one.

Thanx 'Odin' for your heartfelt comment. It's up to the kids to grasp the mettle now and all we do now is for them. This struggle for love, sanity and shared prosperity is generational & as a soul tonic, I attach :

We are doing something right here, it is enough to not be as late. Need only keep so because all others that do none will simply be left behind. Following ones heart is all there is need do things regardless of rearing ugly heads shall find their ends and how! Every which way and then some ALL ONE...

Most people see drones as a controversial weapon prowling over foreign battlegrounds. But as America's military campaigns wind down, these machines are coming home and set to change civilian lives forever. Thanx for you great links, which I recommend to all serious readers here.

"The United Nations is set to investigate drone strikes, reports the New York Times. The technologically advanced killing machines have become a staple for developed nations, particularly the United States. However, the lack of oversight and accountability with drone usage has critics wondering whether the robots are successfully combating the war on terror or merely spreading terror further.", from :

The NYT is the source of much Imperial (Dis)Info I think. For example when the piece says :

"The United States military has a very limited presence in Africa, with only one permanent base, in Djibouti, more than 3,000 miles from Mali. A new drone base in northwest Africa would join a constellation of small air bases in recent years on the continent, including in Ethiopia, for surveillance missions flown by drones or turboprop planes designed to look like civilian aircraft." and ...

"The State Department has been extraordinarily wary of allowing drones to operate in the region, fearful of criticism that the United States is trying to militarize parts of Africa as it steps up its campaign to hunt down Qaeda-linked extremists in Somalia, as well as those responsible for the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.", I contrast this with :

Great points! And, yes, Africa has always been of imperialist interest, think back a few centuries through to current times. It has never stopped.

Of note in the article: "For now, officials say they envision flying only unarmed surveillance drones from the base, though they have not ruled out conducting missile strikes at some point if the threat worsens." No, the warmongers haven't ruled out conducting missile strikes, surprise, surprise. And to think, people see Obama's victory as having made a difference.

"Chalmers Johnson writes in last pages of his book, "Nemesis", that 'to maintain our empire abroad requires resources and commitments that will inevitably undercut our domestic democracy and in the end produce a military dictatorship or its civilian equivalent…if we choose to keep our empire…we will certainly lose our democracy and grimly await the eventual blowback that imperialism generates.' In his earlier book, "Blowback", Johnson offers a solution to the idea that China is an enemy and pushes to end the empire, saying that the United States should adjust and support the emergence of China. Even so, it is up to the individual if to take the stance of Chalmers Johnson, or take action on the streets, in the communities, and elsewhere to curb imperialist policy of all countries, not just America." - from Burkely Hermann's article above.

Africa's curse and blessing is that it a hugely wealthy continent with the avaricious eyes of many corporate interests upon it and sadly what happened to Libya augurs badly for Africa's immediate future.

The West has been playing around with Africa for centuries. I highly recommend "The World and a Very Small Place in Africa" by Donald Wright and "In the Wake of the Affluent Society" by Serge LaTouche. Also, "The Colonizer and the Colonized" by Albert Memmi.

a drone is now being used to track chris dorner. will he be murdered by the govt without benefit of trial? will that be obama s justification to use drones in the usa to target and kill people without due process?

Obama is no MLK. But certainly we must allow those that knew, marched with, and loved him judge what he might have thought of Obama. (Coretta, Jesse, Belefante , John Lewis and others seem to think MLK would have been proud of Obama. I think MLK would have had serious problems with the lack of progress helping the poor, and demilitarizing. I think also that MLK would have placed blame mainly on those most responsible. But I can't speak for MLK, No one can. And only a small handful can even come close to what MLK might have thought. This powerful photo shows him dealing with something all good people can sympathize with.

f you really want to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy please go speak to any Obama or democratic party supporter in your life and let them know exactly why Obama using Dr. King's bible today was nothing but a propaganda ploy from a hypocritical war criminal. I could only imagine Dr. King is rolling in his grave at this hypocrisy. Don't stop there, tell everyone! If you need further assistance or information as to why please check our previous post featuring Dr. Cornel West.

Dr. King fought and eventually gave his life for the ideals he stood for. He stood against war, poverty, and racism all of which are in high occurrence in the modern era. Just look up the military industrial complex, modern Jim Crowe laws in combination with the prison industrial machine, and the affects of our countries staggering 16+ trillion debt. He fought to change America's foreign policy during the Vietnam war, a foreign policy that closely mirrors are current one.

Then let them know how Obama has done nothing to address any of these gigantic issues. Instead he continues his terror campaign of drone strikes abroad while the corporate media are all too happy to be complicit in this murder by never daring to speak outside of their given narrative.

We also suggest one more way of honoring him, use this post and this page as a community megaphone to boost your internet voice's reach. Please post your favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes in the comments and share this conversation with as many as possible both online and in real life. Thank you and for tonight, most of all thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr your legacy will never be forgotten as long as righteous individuals walk this Earth.

The working class/99% have been under assault for decades. The rev Martin Luther King Jr brought attention to our plight throughout his life and more so at the end. The opposition to the working class/99% took his life (He didn't GIVE it), and snuffed out all efforts to improve the lives of the 99%. Once all efforts were thoroughly sidelined with murder. as well as propoganda (like tax & spend, weak on defense, peacnick,) the opposition of the 99% embarked on an intense assault on the 99% with trickledown, outsourcing, weak regulations, free trade deals, distracting resource war profiteering. Both parties share blame for these anti 99% policies, One party for pushing, the other for submitting. Most of all, the apathetic people who allowed the enemies of the 99% to thrive while allowing the heroes of the 99% to languish are responsible. We the people, have allowed this crime against the 99% to occur. So I suppose MLK is turning in his grave at the success of the enemies of the 99%, Today the opposition defeats all efforts to create jobs, fair taxes & higher wages, obstruct all efforts to demilitarize, blocks all efforts at transitioning from fossil fuel to clean energy (and more). I would not presume to speak for MLK and express his opinion of Obama but the people who knew him (Coretta, Jesse, John Lewis, Belafonte, others) do not share you opinion. They have said MLK would support Obamas efforts against the 99%. I am personally profoundly disappointed Obama has made very little progress against the enemies of the 99%, and I attribute that mainly to the overwhelmingly powerful grip that corps have over the government, as well as the lack of a strong movement of people pushing the government towards improvements for the 99%. But Occupy emerged a little more than a year ago, we have pushed the country towards those improvements and if we are smart and inclusive around the issues that the 99% need addressed "We shall overcome"

Obama is an embarassment to King's legacy, and that comes from a guy who attended the former's inauguration, and whose father was at the latter's March on Washington in 1963. I will be leaving for NY in a couple of hours to celebrate MLK day with OWS at the Judson Church, and there will be a button pinned on my scarf that reads Equal Rights in '63.